Archives: James Mullinger

Saint John Love, Part 6. I could easily do a hundred of these and I’m positive the responses would be different (just wait until you read mine!). We’re lucky to have the selection that we do in our City for dining, entertaining, shopping… and laughing!

James Mullinger is still a relatively new resident of Saint John. I’m always so pleased to see how he has seamlessly fit in to our City.

James continues to be my favourite pal to meet for a coffee and catch up on the latest television crime drama.

Enjoy!

Part 6: James Mullinger

Your go-to coffee shop (and ​your ​order):

Magnolia Café. I always go in for a latte. Then once I’m in there (normally meeting you Barb!) I remember how good their breakfast wraps are and I order one of those even though I’ve already had breakfast. They are simply divine. And you can often catch world-class musicians performing there thanks to the work of music promoter and local legend Jeff Liberty. I am also in Java Moose in the Valley most days too. It’s my second office. I meet good friends like Cathy Coyle, Mark Leger, Lindsay Vautour and Alan England there at least once a week for a chat and a Speedball. The coffee Speedball, obviously.

The place in Saint John where you feel ​calm, cool and collected:

Well, compared to London – everywhere. But I am at my most happy shopping at Backstreet Records, SecondSpin or trawling for VHS tapes in Value Village or at yard sales. HMV Saint John is awesome thanks to the super cool staff in there and the fact that you can occasionally find Troma movies or Chuck Norris flicks. I also love working out with Jason Crouse at his awesome fitness studio and catching up with Keith and Nela in Nela’s Kitchen: Simply For Life in the valley. Believe it or not, I also feel very relaxed when catching up with the magnificent police offers at KV Police Station. I work with them occasionally on KV Outreach fundraisers and I always leave with a smile on my face because Steve Palmer and his team are such a lovely, hard working group of people. It is very calming to know that we have such decent and fun people looking after us. Everyone at that station does remarkable things.

The one-stop gift shop.:

The place you celebrate special occasions:

Shadow Lawn Inn. Not just one of the best places to eat, drink, stay or watch live comedy but also one of my favourite hotels in the world. Utterly unique, supremely special and the owners Jamie and Mary Ann are two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.

The place that is a solid date-night spot:

The Robertson at Shadow Lawn. East Coast Bistro. Port City Royal. En Sushi. World class establishments all of them. Csaba Domokos who runs Bell Aliant’s Community One channel introduced me to Splash, which is truly marvellous. As is Csaba himself. And of course at the date night shows I do at Dunham’s Run vineyard on the Kingston Peninsula are the perfect night out! You can catch awesome comedians like Geoff Hendry, Glen K Amo, Neal Mundle and Jimmy MacKinley there.

Favorite place to order take-out:

I don’t really do much take out because my wife and I love cooking every night. But when we do have takeout it is always courtesy of her lovely parents who bring us House Of Chan. The restaurant looks beautiful, the food tastes beautiful and after I’ve consumed a lot of, it makes me feel beautiful!

The best under-the-radar bar:

The Saint John Ale House, The Barrel’s Head and Happinez are awesome but obviously are not a secret because everyone knows how bloody brilliant they are. I love taking the Gondola Point Ferry to go for a pint at Reed’s Point Pub. And I do a lot of comedy shows for Shane Ogden at the 3 Mile, which is highly underrated. I think a lot of people haven’t been for a while so they don’t realize how nice it is in there. I love sitting on their porch sipping a pint with my director John Borbely before a show.

My father in law Barry and I have a great friendship and we love going to Pete’s Pub in Brunswick Square. Pete has been there 35 years, the sign of a true local legend. When I used to visit here from England, Barry and I would always go to Pete’s for a pint and it’s a tradition we have kept up since moving here. Pete always has a story for you, a clientele of raconteurs, delicious Moosehead on tap and jumbo hot dogs. Like I say, legend.

In England there are very few local independent businesses like this left. And I doubt there is a single pub left in the whole of the UK that has been run by the same person who pulls the pints themselves for that length of time. They have all been bought up by big breweries. Same goes for record shops yet Gordy has been running Backstreet Records like a master for three decades. This to me is a sign of a thriving community. People like to complain in Saint John and I do understand that there are problems here but the fact is this: England seems to have a good economy on paper because of the 1% at the top having so much wealth and squeezing normal people like us out. The wealth poverty divide is far greater in London than it is here and there is a far higher proportion of people living in abject poverty in London than there are in Saint John. Nothing is perfect anywhere but things are a damn sight better in Saint John than they are in London.

The place you go for a little bit of culture:

So many places. Sarah Jones’ stunning art gallery. Peter Buckland’s Gallery. Obviously we are incredibly blessed to have a world-class theatre like the Imperial in our city bringing us the best in international culture. The fact that I can go see both Jim Jefferies and the Bubble Guppies there is proof alone that it is one of the best theatres in the world. It is also the most beautiful theatre I have ever played in. It is traditional and historical but unlike the crumbling London West End theatres, it is extremely well maintained. Impeccable, even. My show there last year was one of the most enjoyable gigs of my life and I can’t wait to return in October.

The great thing about the Imperial is that you can trust their booking policy. You might not think that you are in to ballet or opera but go book tickets for a ballet or opera show at the Imperial and you will be seeing the very best there is of that particular art form. You can trust their decision making implicitly. I cannot think of many venues you can say that about.

Obviously Saint John Theatre Company bring us incredible productions all the time and really I think the fact that we have such a thriving arts scene here is down to their hard work. I don’t think I would be able to do what I do here if they – along with people like Scott Thomas – hadn’t created this huge interest in performing arts over the past two decades. I salute Stephen Tobias and his awesome team.

The place you always take your out-of-town guests that wows:

Always the Alehouse first. Then Happinez, Thandi’s, East Coast Bistro, Port City Royal. I could go on. The list is endless in a great city like this.

There are so many beauty spots that impress my guests because this is the most beautiful place in the world. Reed’s Point Pub is a gorgeous spot for a pint and there is nowhere like it in England so that always wows. I took an award-winning British film director named Mark Murphy there a few weeks ago and he was amazed by the view. Take anyone to Tuck Studio and they will be blown away that we have one of the best interior design stores in the world in our city.

Where you shop for everyday basics:

Well, the liquor store obviously for Moose Light. Best beer in the world bar none. For chicken and banana bread – Cochran’s. The Irving gas station near my house where the staff are lovely and I consider them all good friends. Mostly though: probably Sobey’s.

James added these ones….​

Favourite vineyard:

Dunham’s Run on the Kingston Peninsula where I am doing a series of shows over the summer. They are just the most perfect shows – outdoors in the most beautiful part of Canada, in a gorgeous vineyard with sun, laughter and fine wine. We shot the very first episode of my TV show for Bell Aliant Blimey! An Englishman In Atlantic Canada there. Take a look then book tickets!

Favourite place to feel special:

When I moved here I didn’t think I would be able to get my favourite Hermes aftershave or Chanel face cream in Saint John but thanks to Laura in Perfumes Plus at Brunswick Square I don’t need to go back to London to get them. And Chris at Rothesay Hair Studio always makes my dreams come true!

Since meeting James in May of 2014, I’ve gone head first into the comedy scene in Saint John. Not only that, I’ve added James to the list of my friends who like Sons of Anarchy more than I do. This is awesome because he is literally my only friend who likes Sons of Anarchy.

In the short time James and his family have been back in the Saint John area (Rothesay, specifically), they have made it their home. James has supported numerous charities through his comedy gigs (including a cash donation of over $6300 to KV Outreach!), has hosted more than one yard sale (a New Brunswick must) and still seems to be on the Town more than I am!

Here’s case No. 14 of creative people living and working in the Saint John area….

Hi James! Tell me about yourself and what you do.

Hi Barb. Well firstly I am a big fan of what you do. As are many people in Saint John. So thank you for all you do to celebrate this fantastic city on your blog and in your work with local culture and the arts.

I am also a husband, a dad and a comedian.

What is the main function of what you do, day to day?

Admin! For a comedian this is the bulk of what we do (travel arrangements, booking arrangements, chasing work, contracts, interviews, promotion – which is another way of saying ‘Facebook’!). Looking after my sons while my wife works (she is the North American Publisher of Monocle Magazine) and then in the evening I go and do shows. A few days a week I film my TV show Blimey: An Englishman In Atlantic Canada. So my days are split between sitting at my desk doing boring stuff, laughing at my sons then going out to make other people laugh. I like it.

Who is your typical client?

Interesting question. Almost anybody I suppose. Obviously comedy clubs. TV companies. For the main bulk of my work as a comedian. But all kinds of people and companies might hire you to either perform at their events, write press releases for them that are funny, write pieces for newspapers and magazines (I was a journalist for a number of years before becoming a comedian), consult on ways to reach wider audiences for their products. It could literally be anyone.

What is the coolest thing to have happened to you in the past year?

Well, moving to Saint John, New Brunswick without a shadow of a doubt. It’s one of the best things I have ever done. I left a lot behind in London – family, friends, work, clients and audiences I had spent years building up. So it was a risk moving here. But my wife is from here. I love it here and we knew our children would love it here. I knew our home life would improve dramatically. But I really wasn’t expecting my career to take off like it has here. I expected to be travelling back to England frequently to earn. Luckily I don’t need to do that. Because I want to be here with all of you!

But a lot of cool things have happened here this year. I am working on the second series of Blimey! An Englishman In Atlantic Canada for Bell Aliant. I sold out the Imperial Theatre with a new show about my life here, which turned out to be one of the most enjoyable shows of my life. In England it is very difficult for a comedian who isn’t very well known to sell out a venue that size (almost 900 seats). I was honoured and very emotional which I think shows in the televised film of the show.

Very few comedians can even tour solo in the UK because there is so much going on in every town and city that you have purpose built comedy clubs with four of the best stand ups in the country selling struggling to sell out on a Friday night. I loved playing clubs but I also booked my own tours and was lucky enough to build an audience that way, without the backing of the industry in any way, shape or form. I didn’t do Edinburgh every year because I didn’t have money to burn, I wasn’t on panel shows. I was never a darling of the industry suits. Quite the opposite. I built an audience myself by finding people who liked what I do, created a TV show (Movie Kingdom) with a very talented filmmaker friend named Mark Murphy and it found a following. A lovely commissioner at Comedy Central named Sarah Farrell took a punt on us and helped us finance a web series for them which was a dream come true. This led to another show focused solely on comedians. And even then when I toured, I could only sell out on average 200-seater venues. Sometimes bigger, sometimes much, much smaller. I got to a point where it was quite easy to tour because I would go back to the same places where I knew I had a following or rather people that liked what I do. People that had the same sense of humour as me.

Last year though, after 10 months living in Canada I had to go back to the UK to do a tour that had been booked in for some time and it was a bit of a struggle. Some loyal supporters came out but I was out of sight out of mind. I wasn’t there on the ground to promote it and we struggled with numbers. Only about half of the shows sold out. But that’s obviously not what it’s about and why I do it and I did enjoy going back. I only say this to illustrate that while it was hard leaving England, things aren’t all rosy there. As you will see in The Blimey! feature length special that shot during the tour. It really is warts and all. I had been told though prior to moving here that things were even worse for comedians in Canada by a few people. Turns out that – in my case – they were totally wrong. I have been enormously lucky. I hope to continue doing things people like here and most importantly introducing all the nice people who come and see me to all the awesome acts that you have here on your doorstep that you perhaps weren’t aware of. People like Glen K Amo, Shane Ogden, Darren Elmore, Roger LeBlanc, Neal Mundle, Scott Campagna, Debra Steeves. All great acts who have been doing great work here for some time. And there are many more. Right here in New Brunswick. These people are now the funniest thing about my TV show. I am not afraid of being upstaged by them as I frequently am.

Let’s put it this way. If you’d asked me any other year what is the coolest thing that happened to me that year, it would have been one simple answer. The birth of my son. Or selling out this venue. Or getting that TV show off the ground. But this year – the year I moved to this beautiful city – the list is endless. I can’t pick just one thing. So it would have to be moving here. Because that is why all of these wonderful things have happened. My wife and family happier than we’ve ever been. We’ve made dozens of wonderful and amazing friends here. The TV show I’ve been dreaming of making for a decade being commissioned thanks to Jeff Liberty introducing me to Csaba Domokos. Selling out my favourite theatre in the world. Doing the Montreal Fringe. Getting nominated for the Just For Laughs Best Comedy Show award. Opening for Orny Adams in Edmonton. Being booked for a corporate gig in Banff. Working closely with New Bruswick’s best comedians. Working with a director I respect massively on the TV show. Raising lots of money for charities I feel very strongly about like KV Outreach. Any other year it would be easy to pick a highlight. This year, not so much. There’s too many. Every week a new highlight arrives. Which is why I love it here so much. And I will never leave. Moving to Saint John is the best thing I ever did.

I should also say how surprised I have been by the mass of talented people there are here. I have been lucky to meet and work closely with some of the hugely talented writers, photographers, journalists, interior designers, poets, musicians, chefs, music promoters, charity workers, designers that you have here. It’s incredible. So many brilliant people here at the top of their game. Loads of great photographers. And Lindsay Vautour is just the best designer. Incredible. She never fails to wow and amaze me. My favourite poet lives here in Saint John. And then you have people like Wayne Hansen who is not only a highly skilled musician but also a very funny stand up. How dare he be so good at two things! Bastard. I knew it would be a great place to live. I had no idea it had a creative pool as deep and as varied as London.

What’s a typical day like for you?

The biggest misconception and greatest myth about comedians (which is often perpetuated by comedians) is that we only work for 40 minutes a night. In many ways I work more hours now than when I had an office job because the work never stops. You are always looking for ideas all the time. And I am turning over material much quicker living here. I am currently building a whole brand new 90-minute show for the Imperial Theatre this year. About 850 people kindly came to see me and I want them to come again and bring their friends. And they deserve to hear brand new material so I am building a whole new show. Bit by bit, writing all the time, testing the jokes in small venues like the R-Bar where Jon Forward runs an experimental comedy night called No Jokes Barred.

And then there’s all the desk work. Booking shows, arranging travel, all the admin stuff. Especially if – like me – you do all your own PR, marketing, tour managing, venue booking. And for the TV show I am responsible for everything relating to the production side. I have an amazing director John Borbely who has the really hard job of editing hours of footage of me being an idiot into something that make sense. But I have to sort the locations, script, performers, everything. It’s a lot.

It’s not than I am a control freak but it has just ever made sense to me to pay someone to do so something for me which I will be chasing them about all day ever day. Why not do it yourself? No one wants the show to go as successfully as me. Because it’s my name on it. One thing I learned working on the picture desk of a glossy fashion magazine and organising shoots with the likes of David Bailey and Mario Testino is that nothing can wait. Everything must be done now. No excuses that this has to wait until that is done. There is a way to do everything now and you have to find a way. I did this for 14 years. I hate excuses, I hate whining. Just do it now. And I live and work by that philosophy. It’s the only way to survive when you are a full time parent, have a full time job that involves performing most nights and making a TV show and also want to help out your local community, son’s school etc.

In short, I spend a lot of time on the road but also a lot of time at my desk. It’s a mess. Piled up with journals, folders and envelopes stuffed with jokes, half formed ideas. I am writing all the time, analysing my material, reworking it, polishing it, honing it and I keep everything. You never know when you may find a way to make a joke work that you have been struggling with.

How can people stay in touch?

I love people getting in touch. The greatest pleasure for me is people emailing me after shows saying that they have had a good time. And given I love every single person I’ve met in Saint John and surrounding areas, I’d love to hear from anyone!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Thanks James!

We’re happy to have you :)

Important Update:

Enter below to win one of five copies of James Mullinger’s Living the Canadian Dream recorded live at the Imperial Theatre!

I think meeting Judith Mackin may have been the turning point in my Saint John love-affair-of-a-life. Since meeting Judith, I have welcomed so many great people into my circle of friends that love Saint John as much as I do.

Imagine my surprise when I started following James Mullinger on Twitter and Instagram. Who is this stranger that seems to love Saint John as much as I do? and… (*shocker*) … how can I meet this guy? OF COURSE – it’s not a few weeks later and I’m invited to a meet and greet with James and Pam to welcome them to Saint John – newly arrived from London, England.

Since meeting the Mullingers, my eyes have also been opened to the comedy scene in Saint John. A thing – I’m ashamed to admit – I knew nothing about. Now I’m adding “Comedy Show” to my calendar on the regular.

I hope you enjoy the interview with James Mullinger, new Rothesay resident!

Living the Dream at the Barrel’s Head

Hi James! Tell me about yourself and what you do.

I’m 36 years old and I’m a stand up comedian and writer. I spent 14 years working for GQ magazine in London and almost 10 years as a comedian on the UK comedy circuit. I now live in Rothesay, New Brunswick. Which also happens to be my favourite place on the planet. I have an office at home where I work as GQ’s Comedy Editor and I travel all over the world telling jokes. I am also the Senior Vice President of Richwater Films North American office, who are the leading independent producer of British crime thrillers.

You, your wife Pam and your small children recently made the move across the ocean.

How did that come about?

The short answer is that we wanted a better life. And there is nowhere better than New Brunswick. In my last job I had to spend a lot of time in New York and LA. As a comedian I travel the world. But I can honestly say I have never seen a view more beautiful than across the Kennebecasis River, which is right in front of my new home.

Don’t get me wrong, London is a wonderful and amazing place to visit. But when you have lived there for almost two decades as we did and have two young children it just doesn’t make sense. We had a good life there but my wife travelled a lot for work and I was on the road constantly. We never saw each other and were spending a fortune on childcare. Most depressingly we did not see enough of our son Hunter. So when our second son River was born we knew we needed a change. My wife is from the Kingston Peninsula and had the happiest childhood imaginable. I wanted that for my children.

How did you and your wife meet?

We met 14 years ago when she worked for Vanity Fair magazine. It was my first day at GQ and a mutual friend who was working with her introduced us. Every year since we visited Saint John and spent time with her amazing family who are in Fredericton, Sussex, Saint John and the Kingston Peninsula. I love them all very much and always felt sad when we had to leave. Beautiful people in a beautiful place.

I had a life that some would envy. Parties in glamourous places, photo shoots with supermodels on sunny beaches, interviewing famous people, crap like that. But I was always jealous of my wife’s family and the amazing life they have here.

We knew we needed a change. We debated New York. We debated a suburb of New York. We debated Toronto. I was keen on LA. But ultimately why not come to the most beautiful place in the world with the most lovely people in the world? So one day I suggested we move here. More than a year of heartache and hassle, here we are.

It took a lot of work to get here. Telling my family and our friends was heartbreaking. Dealing with dodgy shipping companies to get our treasured possessions here, the insanely difficult process for me to come and work here and we had a very disappointing experience with our realtor here in Rothesay so the last six months have been rather traumatic. It’s been a very rough ride but we are here now and it’s all been worth it. Not a day goes by without me waking up and realising how lucky we are to live here.

Not only is this the most picture-esque place in the world, it has everything and more that you could want from a city. An amazing theatre, cool bars like Happinez, the best interiors shop I have ever visited (Judith Mackin’s Tuck Studio) and politicians that really care. I honestly feel like the people running Saint John love the city and love the people. That is unique. I have been lucky or unlucky enough to meet and, in some cases interview, lots of politicians in my life: one American President, four British prime ministers, two London mayors so my bullshit detector is pretty good. Mayor Mel Norton is the real deal. A decent, honest, hardworking man who cares about people. And unlike almost all of the politicians I have met, he has charm and style too.

With the exception of our truly terrible realtor experience (which I will happily share with anyone who is interested on what to avoid), every single person we have met and dealt with here has been a joy. In England it is very rare that you get good service. And any time we had work done in our house it was hell. A full-on total nightmare – shoddy workmanship, theft, damage, you name it. Our house in Rothesay is currently being worked on by Dave Walker of Wham Design (who was brought to us by the incredible Judith Mackin who is doing wonders with our interior design) and I have honestly never met a more professional or talented contractor in my life. Dave and his team are actually making the process pleasurable, which I never thought was possible.

Tell me about how you got your start in journalism and comedy?

Well, a lot of this forms part of my Living The Canadian Dream show but to summarize, I spent my childhood as a massive movie buff. I have been collecting movie memorabilia since I was 11 years old, a hobby encouraged and supported by my parents. I used to make my own film fanzines using a typewriter and pictures cut out of other magazines and photos I took of my VHS tapes. I was obsessed with trashy B-movies like The Toxic Avenger and devoted a fanzine to that. I never thought I would be lucky enough to work for a magazine but after securing an internship at GQ I worked my arse off and they offered me a job. I stayed there until a few months ago when I moved here.

At 11 years old, I went to an English boarding school where I was bullied quite badly. We weren’t allowed to see our parents very often (once a month at most) and were not allowed to watch movies except for once a week on movie night. I used to seek solace in comedy tapes, sitting in my room listening to recordings of Steve Martin, Woody Allen, Bill Hicks and English comics like Ben Elton, Mel Smith, Rowan Atkinson. I just loved the art form. As a child who could barely muster the confidence to speak to a girl, I couldn’t understand how these amazing people could be on stage so calm and at ease and on top of that make people laugh. It became a dream to do this but I never thought I would ever be able to get on a stage and speak.

In my mid-twenties I had something of a quarter life crisis after being turned down for a promotion at GQ. I decided I had to try my hand at stand up. I remember the exact moment I made the decision and bizarrely it was here in Saint John. It was New Years Eve 2004 and I was in Steamers enjoying Dinner Theatre with my wife and her parents Barry and Wilhelmina. I was depressed with my life in London, with what I was doing. I looked at these talented young people performing and admired them but was also jealous of them. Whatever they were doing during the day in their day jobs, there they were at night – stars of the stage. Wowing and entertaining us. I decided there and then that 2005 would be the year I did my first open spot. Thanks to my best friend Julian Tuddenham who made us do it, we started in May 2005. He was and is the funniest person I have ever met but gave up doing stand up. I think he hates people too much. Which is fair enough. He is currently writing a script, which I cannot wait to read. It will probably be about how much he hates people.

I still collect movie memorabilia and especially VHS videotapes. My happiest memories as a child are of me scouring a video shop in Maidenhead called Video 83. I still love the musky smell from a video box. It takes me back. I am lucky that my parents encouraged this pursuit, very lucky.

What is the comedy scene like in the London area?

How different/similar is it from the comedy scene here?

Well, there is no doubt that there is a comedy boom right now in the UK but it’s essentially a Ponzi scheme. A dozen or so stand ups at the top are making tens of millions due to arena shows and appearing on every TV show going. The club comics are suffering because clubs keep closing due to the public choosing to spend their hard earned cash on arena shows.

I did alright because as well as doing clubs and universities, I made my own work – toured my own shows and promoted them myself. No agent, no tour manager, no PR. So the shows were exactly as I wanted them and I didn’t have to pay most of the money to someone else.

Now, I had heard from Canadian comics that things were much worse here in Canada. That the comedy circuit is dead. I beg to differ because you just have to make your own work, do it yourself. Don’t just sit back and wait for an agent to do it. I have found as much stand up work in the three months I’ve been here as I did in the UK. Possibly more. And moving to Canada has brought me many opportunities I would no have had in England. In March I opened for one of my favourite American comedians Orny Adams in Edmonton doing seven shows in five nights. I would never have got that opportunity if I was still in England. I am travelling all over Canada doing Yuk Yuks gigs and all over summer I am doing a show in a vineyard. Yes, a vineyard. Talk about living the dream.

And let’s not forget, Canada has the greatest comedy event in the world in Montreal every July. Just For Laughs is simply the most wonderful celebration of comedy. Forget Edinburgh, which is designed to bankrupt comedians and has no filter on it, Montreal is the best of the best while also championing new talent. I love that festival, there is nothing else like it.

Before we met, I had no idea that there was this huge comedy scene here in NB.

but I see that every week you’re working – playing clubs, theatres, bars, pubs, vineyards.

How come I didn’t know all of this was going on until you got here?

Very good question. I don’t know. But to be honest I have been surprised how much comedy there is here and how many brilliant up and coming comics there are here. I was aware of a handful before I moved. Neal Mundle and Lloyd Ravn are two of my favourite comics and are from Moncton and Sussex respectively. And Shane Ogden is a powerhouse of a stand up, hugely respected all over Canada, based in Grand-Bay Westfield and he along with Lloyd have done so much for comedy here. Shane has for five years been organising stand up shows eight times a year featuring the best headliners the world has to offer. Lots of people are certainly aware of him and what he does because his shows are always sold out why don’t more people know about them? It’s odd that these shows don’t get much press coverage.

In other places that I perform a lot (i.e. LA, New York and London) comedy is taken very seriously. Shows are reviewed by the local papers, they have sections devoted to comedy listings. It is strange to me that you don’t have that here.

Obviously I wish there was a Yuk Yuks here, the closest ones are Halifax and St John’s (both of which I am playing in August) which are amazing clubs. Yuk Yuks is a real seal of quality when it comes to stand up and Mark Breslin is a genius but I just wish there was one here in New Brunswick. The market is clearly there. Tickets are selling very fast for my solo show at the Imperial Theatre, which has over 800 seats. Shane’s shows always sell out with more than 300 people packed in. Comedy is big here. And it’s getting bigger. I have edited a comedy issue for British GQ for the past three years. Prior to that GQ had very little comedy on its pages. Now it has a whole issue devoted to it. I wish that the Maritimes media would do the same and devote more coverage to comedy. Then more comedians would come here and more clubs could open.

As we know this is a beautiful place, it is also a great place to do comedy. That’s why I’m here. I spoke with Jerry Seinfeld shortly after his show at the Harbour Station. He loved it, said the audience were exceptionally smart and that he would definitely come back. Let’s celebrate comedy a bit more, highlight the incredible array of homegrown talent here and make Saint John and New Brunswick a real comedy destination for all stand ups. There is such a deep pool of talent here, it’s amazing. Ask me to name you ten stand ups that I would recommend who live in the Maritimes.

I think that’s twelve.

Well there you go. And there are loads more. I went to Trevor Muxworthy’s gig at Wilser’s Room in Fredericton with my wife’s cousins a few months back and we honestly pissed ourselves laughing non stop all night – it was one of the consistently brilliant nights of comedy I’d seen in ages. About ten acts. All from Fredericton.

There are very few other places that I could name you ten brilliant stand ups other than LA, New York and London. In short, the Maritimes is crawling with awesome stand ups. And yet, here’s you Barb, a very culturally aware and intelligent person who loves going out, had no idea this was all here. Clearly something is very wrong. Why are people not aware of this incredible thing that is happening here right under their noses?

Who are your favourite comedians in the world?

My favourite American comic of all time is Jerry Seinfeld. My favourite British comic is Frank Skinner. I love Katherine Ryan who is a Canadian comic, not very well known here but a huge star in the UK. She is one of my all time favourites – profound and profoundly filthy. And she somehow skilfully weaves feminism into her set as well. Genius. I also love Chris Rock, Doug Stanhope, Carly Smallman, Scott Capurro, Orny Adams, Adam Bloom, Derek Seguin, Allyson June Smith, Tony Law, Andrew Doyle. I admire all comedians, I like most, but those are the ones I love that I can think of right now.

Tell me about “Living the (Canadian) Dream”

(and your upcoming show(s))

It’s a show I toured all over the UK and am doing in Montreal for a week in June. It’s a show I worked very hard on and audiences seem to like it. With other tours I have had the occasional bad show. Every night performing this was a joy. I am very proud of it and I hope everyone at the Imperial likes it. It is all about the notion of Living The Dream and how some of my childhood dreams came true and I messed them up. The aim of the show is to make the audience laugh at my misfortune and leave feeling happy that they aren’t as much of a loser as me. Previous shows I turned were darker, this one has dark moments but is ultimately uplifting and joyful. The first half of the show however will be all new material about my life in New Brunswick. Why we came, who we’ve met, my observations on Saint John and Canada as a whole and anecdotes and funny stories about things that have happened. I pride myself on the fact that the butt of every joke in my shows is me. I don’t like bullying in comedy. I won’t be doing lazy jokes targeting people, or groups of people. The show may be crude at times but the victim is always me. People pay to come out and have a good time and they don’t want to feel uncomfortable or offended. So I am the target of all my jokes. No one else gets abused. Is it the best stand up comedy show you are going to see this year? Not for me to say. But lots of people have told me it is!

Do you still get nervous?

I don’t get nervous as such but I do get, how can I put this, apprehensive. I want the gigs to go well. And I work hard on every facet of the performance and stage persona to make it work perfectly. It sounds pretentious but is a fine art and one slip up on stage because of something you say or do, and you lose the crowd, then it’s all over. So because I take all of this so seriously, I do become obsessive about ensuring the gigs go well. Sometimes this can be nerves, panic, whatever. I may spend a lot of time in the bathroom before particularly big shows. But it is all healthy. It means I care. I take the responsibility very seriously that a lot of good people have paid their hard earned money to laugh and have a good night. This is not something I take lightly so I want the gigs to go well.

When was the last time you were really nervous?

I know that nerves are not my friend so I do try and fight them. But equally you don’t want to appear too cocky on stage either because that can be a turn off for audiences. Last time I felt properly nervous was on 10th March performing for 3,600 people at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. It was a charity gig I had organized for a women’s charity named Eaves. The show was celebrating the third annual GQ comedy issue, which I had worked on. It was 11 of the best comedians in the world… and me. The most people I had performed to prior to that was 800. So that is a hell of a leap and I was, to be honest, shitting myself. But equally I had been nervous my entire career that an opportunity like this might never happen which is a far worse feeling. My dream had always been to play that room. The same room I have seen Chris Rock, Frank Skinner, Louis CK. I never thought I would get the chance to play that room and I did. So that’s what I told myself as I stood behind that curtain about to face 3,600 people. I sought advice from a British comic named Romesh Ranganathan who is one of the best comics and he had done the same venue for a TV gig a few months before. He said when you walk out and do one joke and get the laugh, it just becomes like any other gig and the nerves subside. And that was exactly what happened. It was just what I needed to hear and it helped me immensely.

What’s next for you?

More of the same I hope. I am loving life here in New Brunswick. As I say, I honestly believe it to be the most beautiful place in the world. I hope I never stop appreciating how lucky we are to live here. I guess what is next is to spread the word the word about this wonderful comedy scene in New Brunswick. Get the word out. Because a lot of the stand ups I have mentioned are planning moves to Toronto so they can get more work. That is a real shame. We should be celebrating their work here so that Saint John, Fredericton, Moncton, Sussex don’t lose all their comedy talent to bloody Toronto. So that’s my main mission really: to keep these talented people here by ensuring everyone here knows that this scene is happening. And get people out of their armchairs, away from watching reality shows and into venues like The Somerset, The 3 Mile, The Saint John Theatre Company, Wilser’s Room, Dunham’s Run and others to see live stand up. After all, even though we live in the greatest place in the world, we could all use a good laugh sometimes right?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Awesome. Thanks James. This was a really great time. I loved chatting with you about your move to Saint John. Thanks again.